The Council of Torah Sages of Shas sent a letter to the High Court of Justice on Tuesday, hardening the party's stance against conscription of yeshiva students. The letter states that drafting yeshiva students is forbidden by Jewish law (halakha) and adds that the council does not recognize the High Court's authority to rule on the matter, according to i24NEWS.
Shas's Council of Torah Sages sent a letter to the High Court of Justice on Tuesday afternoon, intensifying the party's opposition to the conscription of yeshiva students. The letter, reported by i24NEWS, states that drafting yeshiva students is forbidden by halakha (Jewish law) and asserts that the council does not recognize the High Court's authority to rule on the matter. The letter was sent ahead of the court's expected decision on petitions against the coalition-backed law that would freeze arrests of yeshiva students who evade military service.
The move comes after Shas previously declined to send a government attorney to defend the law before the High Court, instead forwarding an earlier letter from the Council of Torah Sages. The Attorney General has already told the court that the law is unconstitutional and must be struck down. The Knesset's legal advisor also told the court that the law could not stand.
The High Court issued a conditional order against the law earlier this month, requiring the state to show cause why it should not be annulled. Tuesday's letter from the Council of Sages represents a further hardening of Shas's position, framing the issue as a matter of religious principle rather than legal procedure.
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